Game apparatus



(No Model.)

A.- .MQ'ARTHUR.

- APPARATUS.

Patented Mar. 15, 189-2.

m x% A a, 17 12% I A A TTOHNE YS INVENTOR Nrrinn TATES ATENT 'Frrc.

ALEXANDER XV. MOARTHUR, OF SAN FRANCISCO, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO JAMES B. MCARTHUR, OF VINTER, CALIFORNIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,765, dated March 15, 1892. Application filed May 29,1891. SerialNo.394,484. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER W. Mo- ARTHUR, of San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State .of California, have 5 invented a new and Improved Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in games; and the object of my invention is to I produce a simple, amusing, and instructive game which may be easily played and which may be played by any small number of persons.

To this end my invention consists in certain I features of construction and combinations of parts, which willbe hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be-had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification,

2c in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the game-board on which the game is played. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same, and Fig. 3 is aper- 2 5 spective view of one of the checkers used in the game. i

The game-board is provided in the center with a recess 11, which is adapted to receive and support a removable plug 12, and

e pivoted on ,this plug so as to revolve easily is an indicating-hand 13. This hand is arranged in the center of a main circle 14, which is produced upon the top surface of the board, and near-the edge of the circle are a series of 3 5 spaces 15, of equal size, which spaces are numbered in regular order from 1 to 50. Near the center of the board and within the main circle is a smaller circle 16, which is provided with a series of spaces 17, andthese 0 spaces register with the spaces and are correspondingly numbered.

At regular intervals around the board and near the outer numbered spaces 15 are stations marked Happy Home, which are regu- 4 5 larly numbered from 1 'to 10,and within the inner circle 16 are a series of segmental spaces which register with the stations marked Happy Home and which are correspondingly numbered. The space between the in- 5o'ner and outer circles is filled by a series of small circles marked from 1 to 50, and

in these circles are placed portraits of prominent authors. The portraits are not shown in the drawings, as it is obvious that they could not be produced, except at a great eX- pense.

In playing the game checkers 18 are used, there being ten of these checkers, which are numbered to correspond with the numbers of the stations, and each player is prov-ided with a checker. Any number of persons less than eleven may play the game, and the game may be greatly varied; but the following description will illustrate the manner in which the parts are used. The game may be played 55 with each individual playing for himself, or the players may choose sides. A key is provided containing the names of all the authors whose portraits appear upon the board, together with quotations, biographical sketches, &c., of the authors, and this key is used for reference. The parties who are to play severally spin the hand 13 by striking it with a finger, and the one who gets the highest count is umpire. The count is indicated by the number in the space 17, which appears opposite the indicating-hand 13. It is the umpires duty to read from the key and decide disputes between the players. The persons having the two next highest counts serve as captains and choose sides, and each player takes a checker 18 and places it upon his particular station marked Happy Home, the players being grouped about the board, and each player in rotation spins the hand 13. 8 5 We will suppose that the hand stops opposite one of the smaller circles marked 25, as in the drawings, and that this circle contains a portrait of Shakespeare. The player will then be called upon to name the author whose portrait 0 appears in the circle, and to give a quotation from some of his-writings; and he may be made to give a short biographical sketch of the author, to name his principal works, and various other regulations may be introduced. .5 If the player succeedsin meeting the requirements of the game, he moves his checker five points ahead on the spaces 15, because the hand appears over the segmental space marked 5 in the inner circle. If the indicating-hand has stopped over the number 6 and the player had complied with the rules, he would move his checker six points; and if over any other number he would move it in accordance with the number over which the hand stopped. The player who first makes the circuit of the board wins, and if they play on sides the side which first gets all its checkers around the board wins. If a player does not correctly name the authoror his works, 850., he does not count, and if when a player moves his checker ahead it comes to a space occupied by the checker of an opposing player he may move the latters checker back five spaces.

A great many variations may beintroduced into the game, and I have described one Way of playing it simply to illustrate the use of the apparatus.

It is obvious that a greater or less number of portraits may be used, and a greater orless number of stations marked Happy Home.

As shown in the drawings, the board is made in a single piece; butin practice it would be made to fold in the middle in a common way.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A game apparatus comprising a board having a main circle with numbered spaces around its outer edge, an inner circle with spaces correspondingly numbered, a series of portrait-spaces arranged between theinner and outer spaces and numbered to correspond with them, stations arranged at intervals among the portrait-spaces, a series of segmental spaces arranged centrally upon the board and numbered to correspond with the stations, and a revolublc hand mounted in the center of the main circle, substantially as specified. 

